John,

The first time running for Congress crossed my mind was in 2013.

I just finished volunteering for Wenona Benally Baldenegro, a Diné who ran as a progressive candidate for the Democratic nomination in Arizona’s First District — the district with the largest Native American population in the country.

Seeing how the recovery from the 2008 economic recession had been benefiting corporations and the wealthy while leaving working people struggling, I had an urge to help change things. I asked a Democratic party operative what they thought about me running for Congress and was told to run for a lower office. So I did. I ran for a seat on the Flagstaff City Council with an agenda to lift up working people locally and was elected to a four-year term in 2014. 

We accomplished a lot in those four years, from increasing the minimum wage to $15.50 per hour and setting up the Office of Labor Standards to prevent wage theft, to initiating Flagstaff’s first Climate Action Plan, declaring Indigenous People’s Day, and approving Flagstaff’s (and Arizona’s) first paid parental leave policy.

But 2020 is not 2013. In more than one way.

Today, we have a lot of wonderful progressive candidates who are much younger than I am and are not taking a traditional route of waiting in line for their turn, and they shouldn’t.

Anyone should be able to run for Congress. It shouldn’t be something that you decide to do because you already have served so many years in other positions. The only prerequisite should be a dedication to changing your community for the better.

When I look around at the number of candidates running alongside me I see many young women and men taking bold steps without being intimidated by the process.

But we also need to win these races. We are not running to come in a strong second! While demands around the nation are high and resources tight, what kind of Congress we elect will shape our country’s resilience for future challenges that are no doubt coming. Can you chip in $20, $50 or more so we can bring real change to Arizona’s First District?

Your contribution to our campaign today is your investment in our country tomorrow. We have to walk and chew gum at the same time — provide immediate relief to our struggling communities and change politics in the long run. 

Even if you can give just $5 or $10 today, you’ll help us push to get over the finish line.

- Eva